editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Tom Bowman is a NPR National Desk reporter covering the Pentagon. In his current role, Bowman has traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan often for month-long visits and embedded with U.S. Marines and soldiers. Before coming to NPR in April 2006, Bowman spent nine years as a Pentagon reporter at The Baltimore Sun . Altogether he was at The Sun for nearly two decades, covering the Maryland Statehouse, the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the National Security Agency (NSA). His coverage of racial and gender discrimination at NSA led to a Pentagon investigation in 1994. Initially Bowman imagined his career path would take him into academia as a history, government, or journalism professor. During college Bowman worked as a stringer at The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Mass. He also worked for the Daily Transcript in Dedham, Mass., and then as a reporter at States News Service, writing for the Miami Herald and the Anniston (Ala.) Star . Bowman is a co-winner of a 2006 National Headliners'NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Tom BowmanMon, 19 Feb 2018 20:20:57 +0000Tom Bowmanhttp://kios.org
Tom BowmanThe city of Raqqa was the de facto capital of the Islamic State. ISIS fighters were defeated there back in October, and they scattered in all directions. But they left behind a deadly legacy - thousands upon thousands of explosive booby traps. Now U.S. and Syrian trainers are teaching young men how to dismantle those bombs, at a village on the outskirts of the city. In an exercise a Syrian instructor and his young student are trying to do just that. A mock explosive is set inside the metal front door of an abandoned house. They slide a selfie stick with a camera inside the gap in the door, searching for the wire to cut. Suddenly there's a sharp beeping sound. That's not the sound they wanted to hear, says the American special forces trainer. "We have penalty alarms that you step on and it signifies an explosion," he explains. That mock explosion would likely have killed or maimed both men, much like the real explosions that happen daily in Raqqa just down the highway. Some three dozenISIS' Parting Gift To Its Former Capital: Thousands Of Explosive Booby Trapshttp://kios.org/post/isis-parting-gift-its-former-capital-thousands-explosive-booby-traps
104488 as http://kios.orgMon, 19 Feb 2018 10:04:00 +0000ISIS' Parting Gift To Its Former Capital: Thousands Of Explosive Booby TrapsTom BowmanThe Kurdish soldiers stand watch at this rustic outpost, nothing more than sand bags and hardened earth, like some sort of prehistoric fortress. Some of the fighters carry AK-47s, others hold machine guns. And all are looking to the south and the front line with ISIS in northeast Syria. It's a vast open plain. Gen. Hassan commands these troops. He's a short, squat man with salt-and-pepper hair, and he points out in the distance where the enemy is located, just a couple of mud huts on the horizon. "That place. That village farm is the place for ISIS," says Hassan. "A couple of kilometers. After this there are many villages controlled by ISIS." Hassan knows that at some point his troops will have to leave their base and take on ISIS. But that may have to wait. Because right now some of his fighters are leaving, heading to the northwest part of Syria to a place called Afrin. The Turkish army is battling their Kurdish comrades there. Why? Because Turkey considers the Kurdish forcesU.S. Military Mission In Syria Endures As ISIS Nears Defeathttp://kios.org/post/us-military-mission-syria-endures-isis-nears-defeat
104374 as http://kios.orgThu, 15 Feb 2018 21:35:00 +0000U.S. Military Mission In Syria Endures As ISIS Nears DefeatTom BowmanCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit DAVID GREENE, HOST: This week, U.S. troops came under artillery fire in Syria. None of them were killed, fortunately, and they repelled this attack with massive air power. But it was a sign of how the fight against ISIS is getting more complicated even as the Islamic State has largely been routed. Some of the local forces fighting with the United States are now more worried about other threats, including from Turkey, maybe even Russia, than they are about ISIS. NPR's Tom Bowman has just spent three days with some of the U.S. troops in Syria and saw how close the ISIS battle is fraying at the edges, and he joins us now from Kuwait. Hi, Tom. TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hey, David. GREENE: All right. So there are some 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, some of them attacked on Wednesday. Who was attacking them? BOWMAN: Well, David, they were Syrian regime militias backed by Russia. And 500 of these fighters, using tanks and artillery, attacked a U.S.-supportedView From The Ground In Syriahttp://kios.org/post/view-ground-syria
104084 as http://kios.orgFri, 09 Feb 2018 12:36:00 +0000View From The Ground In SyriaTom BowmanCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: Let's go now to Syria - to northern Syria near the border with Turkey where an exceedingly complicated battlefield is taking shape. Here are the players. U.S. troops are there. They are backing local forces - Syrian Kurds - in the fight against ISIS. Meanwhile, Turkish forces have their own military offensive underway against the Syrian Kurds that the U.S. is backing. This is a problem, American commanders say, among other reasons because the U.S. and Turkey are supposed to be allies in the fight against ISIS. Well, NPR's Tom Bowman is there on the ground bearing witness to all of this. He joins us now from an American base in northern Syria. Hey, Tom. TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hey, Mary Louise. KELLY: I know you have been out and about all day today. Can you tell me a little bit about exactly where you were, what you saw? BOWMAN: Well, we were in Manbij - just outside of Manbij, a city in northern Syria. Syrian Kurdish rebelsAn Extremely Complex Battlefield Is Taking Shape In Northern Syriahttp://kios.org/post/extremely-complex-battlefield-taking-shape-northern-syria
104015 as http://kios.orgWed, 07 Feb 2018 21:22:00 +0000An Extremely Complex Battlefield Is Taking Shape In Northern SyriaTom BowmanCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Early this morning, there was yet another attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. ISIS claimed responsibility. It's the fourth major attack by militants in just over a week. A horrific bombing over the weekend killed more than a hundred people. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack. NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman joins us now here in the studio with more. Hi, Tom. TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hey, Ari. SHAPIRO: What can you tell us about this morning's attack? BOWMAN: Well, Ari, the attack was on the Afghan military academy in Kabul, and officials say 11 Afghan troops were killed, another 16 wounded. And I'm told you had five suicide attackers. They had ISIS flags. A couple had suicide vests. And pictures sent to us by an Afghan military source show these flags and also a variety of weapons - AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades. This attack went on for about a half an hour, and the elite Afghan Commandos were called in to helpFollowing Attacks In Afghanistan, Trump Rejects Idea Of Negotiating With The Talibanhttp://kios.org/post/following-attacks-afghanistan-trump-rejects-idea-negotiating-taliban
103574 as http://kios.orgMon, 29 Jan 2018 21:54:00 +0000Following Attacks In Afghanistan, Trump Rejects Idea Of Negotiating With The TalibanTom BowmanLooking back a half-century, to when they were young officers, their memories of the Battle of Hue are still fresh. "What I saw was probably the most intense ground fighting on a sustained basis over several days of any other period during the war," says Howard Prince, an Army captain who worked with South Vietnamese forces. "We were under fire, under heavy fire," says Jim Coolican, a Marine captain. Mike Downs, another Marine captain, recalls, "We didn't know where the enemy was, in which direction even." The enemy forces were everywhere. Inside houses and tunnels and in the sewer system, and they captured the citadel, a massive castlelike expanse in this city that was once the imperial capital, north of Saigon. It was the bloodiest battle of the Tet Offensive and also the entire war — and it all took American officials completely by surprise, says author Mark Bowden. "You had the incredible rose-colored reports coming from Gen. William Westmoreland, who was the American commander inMilitary Victory But Political Defeat: The Tet Offensive 50 Years Laterhttp://kios.org/post/military-victory-political-defeat-tet-offensive-50-years-later
103534 as http://kios.orgMon, 29 Jan 2018 10:04:00 +0000Military Victory But Political Defeat: The Tet Offensive 50 Years LaterTom BowmanThe Pentagon unveiled its National Defense Strategy, a document that focuses on the "eroding" U.S. military advantage with regard to Russia and China, and will likely influence future spending on weapons systems and other military hardware. "The department needs to focus on Russia and China," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development Elbridge Colby, during a question and answer session with reporters at the Pentagon. "The erosion of our military advantage is the problem." Colby said the strategy in no way diminishes the U.S. focus on terrorism, which he termed "a very serious threat." But the document states, "Inter-state strategic competition, not terrorism, is now the primary concern in U.S. national security." The new Pentagon strategy is in contrast to the National Security Strategy outlined last month with a statement from President Trump that mentioned neither Russia nor China, but instead focused elsewhere. "We are rallying the world againstU.S. Military Advantage Over Russia And China 'Eroding,' Pentagon Says http://kios.org/post/us-military-advantage-over-russia-and-china-eroding-pentagon-says
103111 as http://kios.orgFri, 19 Jan 2018 15:05:00 +0000U.S. Military Advantage Over Russia And China 'Eroding,' Pentagon Says Tom BowmanThe Army is training thousands more soldiers in tunnel warfare, part of an effort to be ready to offer President Trump military options for North Korea, U.S. officials tell NPR. North Korea is honeycombed with thousands of tunnels and bunkers, some of them discovered leading across the border and close to the South Korean capital, Seoul. Others in North Korea are hundreds of feet deep and could be used to hide troops and artillery, as well as chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Along with training thousands more troops, officials say the Pentagon is buying more specialized gear needed for tunnel operations: radios and night vision goggles, along with acetylene torches and bolt cutters. Officials say the additional Army brigades that will take part in the training this year include the 101st Airborne Division and the 82nd Airborne Division. Spokesmen for those divisions would not comment on the additional training, and neither would the Army. Officials say the training is expectedAs North Korea Tensions Rise, U.S. Army Trains Soldiers To Fight In Tunnelshttp://kios.org/post/north-korea-tensions-rise-us-army-trains-soldiers-fight-tunnels
102664 as http://kios.orgTue, 09 Jan 2018 10:06:00 +0000As North Korea Tensions Rise, U.S. Army Trains Soldiers To Fight In TunnelsTom BowmanCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: The United States is gearing up to play a greater role in stabilizing Syria. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters that American diplomats and contractors will move into the eastern part of the country now that the Islamic State caliphate there has all but come to an end. Mattis says the hundreds of U.S. troops now on the ground will help those civilian workers rebuild. NPR's Tom Bowman has more. TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: ISIS is on the run, said Secretary Mattis, and American troops are working with local forces in Syria to clear the final pockets of the Islamic State caliphate along the border with Iraq. But Mattis said those U.S. troops, numbering some 2,000, will soon shift to another job - helping what he calls the initial recovery of the cities and towns destroyed during the past three years of war. And that means civilians rather than troops. JIM MATTIS: You'll see more U.S. diplomats on the ground, for example. So we'reSyria Says U.S. Forces Should Leave As Contractors, Diplomats Prepare To Arrivehttp://kios.org/post/syria-says-us-forces-should-leave-contractors-diplomats-prepare-arrive
102297 as http://kios.orgFri, 29 Dec 2017 21:49:00 +0000Syria Says U.S. Forces Should Leave As Contractors, Diplomats Prepare To ArriveTom BowmanThe Army's Green Berets have gained a reputation over the decades for their toughness and fighting skills. They served with local forces in Vietnam, and in recent years, they've deployed repeatedly to Iraq and Afghanistan. The list of their deployments continues to grow: Niger. Somalia. Yemen. Syria. Philippines. Now a fight appears to be growing inside the Green Beret community. An anonymous and scathing 12-page letter that begins — "Our Regiment has a cancer, and it is destroying the SF (Special Forces) legacy, its capability and its credibility" — has gone viral over the past few weeks among active-duty and retired soldiers. It charges that the Green Beret command at its Fort Bragg, N.C., school has lowered training standards and graduated Green Berets who are "markedly and demonstrably weaker; and quantifiably projecting measurable risk and liability onto the teammates with which they serve." It is signed: "A concerned Green Beret." The letter writer's identity remains a mystery atU.S. Army Green Berets Accused From Within Of Lowering Standardshttp://kios.org/post/us-army-green-berets-accused-within-lowering-standards
101723 as http://kios.orgFri, 15 Dec 2017 10:00:00 +0000U.S. Army Green Berets Accused From Within Of Lowering StandardsTom BowmanThe new troops of the Afghan 215th Corps are assembled on a wide plaza at midday at their base, called Camp Shorabak. Passing in review is their new commander, Maj. Gen. Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai. He proved himself fighting the Taliban in northeast Afghanistan. Now he's in charge of Helmand — the deadliest province in a troubled country. Ahmadzai is short and squat, with a thick black mustache and thinning hair. He's a trained commando, one of the toughest soldiers. His two predecessors were fired for corruption . The most recent one is in jail. Only last year, the Americans here were singing his corrupt predecessor's praises. After a recent dinner with U.S. Marine officers, Ahmadzai spoke with NPR about the challenges ahead. Corruption is just a start, Ahmadzai says through his translator, of what's wrong with Helmand. "Helmand is one of the main concerns and has a lot of problems," the general says. "One of the main problems is poppy cultivation and trade and trafficking." The poppyIn Helmand, Afghan General Fights Taliban 'Cancer' With Some Help From U.S. Marineshttp://kios.org/post/helmand-afghan-general-fights-taliban-cancer-some-help-us-marines
100220 as http://kios.orgWed, 08 Nov 2017 16:26:00 +0000In Helmand, Afghan General Fights Taliban 'Cancer' With Some Help From U.S. MarinesTom BowmanGen. John W. "Mick" Nicholson settles into his wood-paneled office inside the American-led military headquarters in Kabul. It's lined with plaques, pictures and ceremonial swords. He has spent more time in Afghanistan, in various jobs, than any other senior American officer — a total of 5 1/2 years. The commander of NATO's Resolute Support mission and U.S. forces in Afghanistan since March 2016, Nicholson is a genial West Point graduate with salt-and-pepper hair — and a renewed confidence. That is because the White House has given him more authority to attack the Taliban, more warplanes and drones to mount punishing airstrikes — and a few thousand more American troops to advise the Afghans. Just eight months ago, Nicholson told Congress that the Afghan fight was at a stalemate. Now, he tells NPR, "With the policy decision announced by President Trump, the Taliban can't win. It sets the conditions to get to a peaceful resolution of this conflict." But is it still a stalemate? Nicholson'The Taliban Can't Win,' Says Commander Of U.S. Forces In Afghanistanhttp://kios.org/post/taliban-cant-win-says-commander-us-forces-afghanistan
99186 as http://kios.orgFri, 13 Oct 2017 09:07:00 +0000'The Taliban Can't Win,' Says Commander Of U.S. Forces In AfghanistanTom BowmanCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: The Navy is still investigating four accidents involving ships in the Pacific this year - accidents that led to the deaths of 17 sailors and untold millions of dollars in repairs. So what happened? Some naval experts are pointing to overworked crews and to the stress of frequent deployments because of too few ships. But as NPR's Tom Bowman reports, others point to a simpler reason - lack of training. TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: When Bryan McGrath left college as a Navy ensign back in 1987, he spent more than a year learning how to drive a warship. There were classes, simulators, time in the water steering a patrol craft. Then he was off to the fleet. BRYAN MCGRATH: So I showed up at that ship with a unbelievable amount of education about the basics of what my ship was doing - how to navigate it, how to maintain it, how to operate it. BOWMAN: Fast forward two decades - McGrath is in command of a ship. And the new ensigns comingNavy Officials Examine Training Procedures After Ship Accidentshttp://kios.org/post/navy-officials-examine-training-procedures-after-ship-accidents
97852 as http://kios.orgThu, 07 Sep 2017 12:11:00 +0000Navy Officials Examine Training Procedures After Ship AccidentsTom BowmanCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit AILSA CHANG, HOST: The White House is expected to issue new guidelines on transgender people in the military in the next several days. This after President Trump wrote on Twitter a month ago, quote, "the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military." Here he is defending those tweets. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think I'm doing a lot of people a favor by coming out and just saying it. As you know, it's been a very complicated issue for the military. It's been a very confusing issue for the military. And I think I'm doing the military a great favor. CHANG: Joining us now to talk about the coming directive is NPR's Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman. Hi, Tom. TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hey, Ailsa. CHANG: So from what we're learning, it seems like these guidelines that are going to be issued by the White House will slightly walk back President Trump'sWhite House To Issue Guidance On Transgender Service Member Banhttp://kios.org/post/white-house-issue-guidance-transgender-service-member-ban
97281 as http://kios.orgThu, 24 Aug 2017 09:24:00 +0000White House To Issue Guidance On Transgender Service Member BanTom BowmanPresident Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to an Army medic on Monday afternoon at the White House, nearly 50 years after his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. Over three days of bravery, Jim McCloughan ran toward enemy fire numerous times to save his fellow soldiers, even though he was wounded himself. At the ceremony, the president called McCloughan a "hero" and "a veteran who went above and beyond the call of duty." "He would not flinch in the face of sure death and definite danger," Trump said. Soldiers from Charlie Company were running for their lives that May morning in 1969. Tripping over themselves in a rice paddy south of the coastal city of Da Nang. Heavy fire was coming from the treeline behind them. AK-47s. Machine guns. "I'd rather die on the battlefield than have heard later on that one of my men did not make it because their medic was not there," McCloughan once said. Bill Arnold, then 20, was one of the soldiers running back then, and he couldn't keep up. Hours3 Days Of Bravery: Neglecting His Own Wounds, 'Doc' Saved 10 Soldiershttp://kios.org/post/3-days-bravery-neglecting-his-own-wounds-doc-saved-10-soldiers
96327 as http://kios.orgMon, 31 Jul 2017 16:26:00 +00003 Days Of Bravery: Neglecting His Own Wounds, 'Doc' Saved 10 SoldiersTom BowmanCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Today - this afternoon at the White House, President Trump awards the Medal of Honor to United States Army medic, who is receiving the honor almost 50 years after his actions during the Vietnam War. JIM MCCLOUGHAN: I'd rather die on the battlefield than have heard later on that one of my men didn't make it because their medic was not there. INSKEEP: John McCloughan ran toward enemy fire numerous times over the course of three days to save fellow soldiers, even though he himself was wounded. Here's NPR's Tom Bowman. TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Soldiers from Charlie Company were running for their lives, tripping over themselves in a rice paddy south of the coastal city of Da Nang. Heavy fire was coming from the tree line behind them - AK-47s, machine guns. MCCLOUGHAN: It was not a good day, OK? You could just hear the bullets popping. BOWMAN: Bill Arnold was one of the soldiers running that May morning in 1969. He was 20 years old, andA Medal Of Honor For Former Army Medic Jim McCloughanhttp://kios.org/post/medal-honor-former-army-medic-jim-mccloughan
96317 as http://kios.orgMon, 31 Jul 2017 10:44:00 +0000A Medal Of Honor For Former Army Medic Jim McCloughanTom BowmanCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: If you're a transgender person serving in the U.S. military, you still have a job - at least for now. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joe Dunford, said yesterday that the Pentagon will do nothing to change their status until the Pentagon receives a formal directive. Earlier this week, of course, President Trump tweeted that transgender troops will no longer be allowed to serve in the military in any capacity. NPR's Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman is here in the studio to make sense of a couple of very different messages we heard on this issue this week. Hey, Tom. TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hey. Good morning. MARTIN: So the message from the Pentagon to transgender service members is basically, as you were? BOWMAN: That's right. Nothing has changed. As you said, General Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said the current policy remains; transgender people can continue to serve openly until the Pentagon getsPentagon Reacts To Trump's Transgender Service Member Banhttp://kios.org/post/pentagon-reacts-trumps-transgender-service-member-ban
96205 as http://kios.orgFri, 28 Jul 2017 09:13:00 +0000Pentagon Reacts To Trump's Transgender Service Member BanTom BowmanA debate has broken out at the Pentagon and in Congress over a proposal to dismantle an 8-year-old program that gives fast-track citizenship to immigrant soldiers who were recruited because they have critical skills in languages and medicine. More than 4,000 immigrant soldiers recruited through the program — mostly from China and South Korea — are serving in uniform, including on overseas tours. Another 4,000 recruits have enlisted and are awaiting training. The program is known as MAVNI, for Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest. It was frozen last year amid security concerns about inadequate vetting of the recruits. Pentagon and national intelligence officials say the recruits could have connections to foreign intelligence services or become insider threats, according to an internal memo obtained by NPR. The officials also said it would be both expensive and time-consuming to investigate these recruits more carefully. Those officials are now proposing additional scrutinyCitizenship For Military Service Program Under Firehttp://kios.org/post/citizenship-military-service-program-under-fire
95545 as http://kios.orgTue, 11 Jul 2017 13:57:00 +0000Citizenship For Military Service Program Under FireTom BowmanWhen President Donald Trump selected retired Marine Gen. James Mattis for defense secretary, it was a rare choice. No recently retired general had been selected for the top Pentagon job since George Marshall, some 66 years earlier. Mattis had wide support on Capitol Hill from both parties. Described as a warrior-scholar, he was well known for his combat prowess; his ability to select the right historical quote; and offering blunt, unvarnished testimony. But Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., was a bit wary and said she would not vote to give Mattis the necessary waiver to serve in the job. Mattis had been out of uniform for only three years; the law requires a gap of seven years before someone can be eligible to become defense secretary. "Civilian control of the military is a fundamental principle of American democracy," Gillibrand said. Trump did not stop there. He picked other retired generals: Retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn , and then active duty Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, to serve as100 Days In, Trump's Generals Seen As A Moderating Forcehttp://kios.org/post/100-days-trumps-generals-seen-moderating-force
92560 as http://kios.orgFri, 28 Apr 2017 09:04:00 +0000100 Days In, Trump's Generals Seen As A Moderating ForceTom BowmanCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: We begin this morning with the U.S. effort to push the Islamic State out of Iraq and Syria. Mosul is proving to be an especially brutal battle. The U.S. is helping the Iraqi forces with trainers, special operations and airstrikes. But waging a war in the middle of a city brings inevitable civilian casualties. And American officials say it appears one of those airstrikes in Mosul may have led to the deaths of more than a hundred civilians, including children. For more details, NPR's Pentagon correspondent, Tom Bowman, is here with me in the studio. Good morning, Tom. TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Good morning. MARTIN: What more have we learned about that airstrike on Mosul? BOWMAN: Well, Rachel, here's what the Pentagon says happened. It was targeting ISIS fighters and equipment on March 17 in west Mosul at the request of Iraqi government fighters. Now, the Pentagon says that this airstrike hit at the location, quote, "corresponding toTrapped Civilians Complicate U.S. Efforts in Northern Syria And Iraqhttp://kios.org/post/trapped-civilians-complicate-us-efforts-northern-syria-and-iraq
91270 as http://kios.orgMon, 27 Mar 2017 09:06:00 +0000Trapped Civilians Complicate U.S. Efforts in Northern Syria And Iraq